Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 864

“Hmph.”

A snort escaped.

Nakada Yuji rubbed his face lightly.

‘It’s a bad habit.’

When he thinks no one is around, his true feelings aren’t well hidden. He ends up showing his emotions without realizing it. This was a really bad habit.

There are countless eyes in the world.

And among them, there are bound to be eyes that Nakada Yuji doesn’t notice.

You must be able to perfectly hide your true intentions.

If you want to survive, that is.

‘There’s no way the old man would willingly give me everything.’

Reading people’s minds is very easy. You just have to think about what you would do if you were that person.

The leader is a strong, sinister, and very cruel Nakada Yuji. If the Nakada Yuji who has become like that with age were in the leader’s position now, how would he act?

‘He wouldn’t give up anything.’

That guy is a greedy pig.

A person who feels more regret over what he doesn’t have than what he holds in his hands.

A person who would bury a fortune under his mat, yet still covet a single coin dropped in front of a beggar.

Would such a person give Nakada Yuji authority and achievements?

There’s no way.

The reason why the leader has been able to receive the reputation of being fair in rewarding and punishing is very simple.

‘Because he’s extremely calculating and cruel.’

A poorly calculating person is fixated on the immediate gains in front of them. But the leader is not such a clumsy person.

He knows that if he endures the present, greater gains will come. He knows that establishing an image as a fair leader brings several times more benefits than picking up the small change in front of him.

But…

‘This time, it won’t be the same.’

Korea is too tempting a land to be concerned with appearances and future gains.

If he can get that land, the leader’s power will increase more than twofold. The benefits derived from that are incalculable.

And he would share that with others? That greedy man?

There’s no way.

Nakada Yuji massaged his neck.

It felt like a knife would be plunged into his neck at any moment. He knew that there was definitely no one around, but ever since he left the leader’s palace, it felt like everything in the world was watching him.

‘The old man won’t give in easily.’

Nakada Yuji took his hand off his face. His expression had completely changed to a blank one.

Since he has been given authority, he will definitely watch for a while. The moment when the success or failure of his mission is decided will clearly be the key point.

‘But old man.’

Don’t forget.

Just because an old badger digs many burrows doesn’t necessarily mean he’s wiser than a young fox.

Nakada Yuji cracked his neck and moved forward.

It’s a battle of whether what he has prepared is more vicious, or what the leader has prepared is more vicious. Until the lid is opened, no one will know the outcome of this match.

“Let’s focus for now?”

Let’s postpone the future for later.

There’s a mountain of things to do from now on.

Even if he has the backing of Shin’nichikai [a fictional organization] and the leader’s authority, the people participating in this expedition were not to be trifled with. If it weren’t for this situation, he wouldn’t have dared to even think about controlling them.

But on the other hand, it also means that the expedition’s power is strong. With this power, they could even compete with the entire Shin’nichikai.

But Nakada Yuji was not excited, nor was he confident of success.

Kang Jin-ho, whom he has observed so far, is an unfathomable person.

He always shows a side of himself that exceeds Nakada Yuji’s expectations. Just when he thinks he has finished measuring him, he overturns the results, and when he finishes readjusting, he overturns them again.

He was someone who was stronger today than yesterday, and stronger tomorrow than today.

Against such a person, he cannot be sure of victory.

“But…”

Nakada Yuji ran his thumb over his lips.

‘That’s why it’s meaningful.’

If he can capture Kang Jin-ho, if he can capture Kang Jin-ho and seize Korea, Nakada Yuji will also gain power befitting that.

Power comes from oneself, but it also comes from the eyes of others.

Authority, dignity, and fear ultimately stem from others’ evaluation of oneself. If he gains all of that, Nakada Yuji will soar high.

All he needs is the result of defeating the monster called Kang Jin-ho.

The stronger and more cruel Kang Jin-ho is, the more his status will skyrocket.

Now he will prove it.

His skills, his abilities… and his ambition.

By beheading Kang Jin-ho.

« O »

“What’s wrong? Why have you been massaging your neck since a while ago?”

“…Did I sleep wrong?”

Kang Jin-ho frowned and pressed on his neck.

“That’s unusual. You even have aches and pains.”

“I’m a human too.”

“That’s because you don’t seem like one. You haven’t even caught a cold since your car accident.”

a o

«

M…•

Just as Kang Eun-young was about to say something, Baek Hyun-jung took over her words.

“That’s right. Our Jin-ho is healthy.” What are you trying to say?

Kang Jin-ho was already feeling uneasy.

“He’s so healthy that he goes out early every morning and comes back late every night without fail. A normal person would have gotten sick by now.”

Wow, this is how it connects.

That’s a perfect slider [a baseball pitch].

He subtly avoided her gaze, but Baek Hyun-jung didn’t let Kang Jin-ho off easily.

“Son.”

“Yes.”

“Are you busy these days?”

What should he answer?

If he says he’s busy, they’ll attack him asking what he’s so busy with, and if he says he’s not busy, they’ll say that someone who’s not busy is always wandering outside.

There’s no guard against this.

Kang Jin-ho chose a third path.

“It’s just so-so.”

“Is that so?”

“…Yes.”

Baek Hyun-jung gave a subtle smile.

“Then you’re not busy, so you can help your mom, right? I had some things to do anyway.”

“…It’s not that I’m not busy.”

“Then you’re busy?”

Her dribbling is unbelievable.

Even Maradona [a famous soccer player] wouldn’t be able to corner him like this. Realizing that he’s going to get caught either way, Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Actually, I’m a bit…”

“What are you so busy with? Is it something you can’t tell your mom?”

Baek Hyun-jung smiled.

But that smile was a little sad.

Even though he knew that it was a deliberately created expression, Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but be flustered.

“Okay. I shouldn’t interfere if my son is doing something important. But a little… well, I feel a little like that. I feel like I’m not helpful to my son anymore, and that I’m just getting in the way…”

“I’m starting a company!”

Before a knee kick could land on his solar plexus, Kang Jin-ho made a voluntary confession.

“A company?”

“A companyyy?”

Baek Hyun-jung and Kang Eun-young’s eyes lit up at the same time. The way they sparkled was reminiscent of a concert hall’s lighting.

Kang Jin-ho let out a soft sigh.

He can’t say he was tricked. It was obvious. But if he can’t stop what’s so obvious, it’s no different from being tricked.

‘I hope they didn’t practice this beforehand?’

He has a slight suspicion, but no way, no way they would go that far…

“A company, what do you mean?”

Kang Jin-ho squeezed his eyes shut.

‘I should thank Lee Hyun-joo for this.’

After experiencing it firsthand, he understood why the general assembly needed to be legalized. There are probably quite a few people in Korea who are being treated similarly to Kang Jin-ho right now.

If the whole family were martial artists, they wouldn’t suffer the same pain as Kang Jin-ho, but if only one person became a martial artist after being noticed by their master, they would be in a situation no different from Kang Jin-ho’s.

‘A decent job and a business card…’

In the past, there were so many idlers.

Thinking back to when he was in the Central Plains [a reference to a historical region in China], the concept of a job wasn’t that strong. There were things people did, but you couldn’t guess their social status from it, and the fact that they had a job didn’t guarantee their face.

If the world changes, the general assembly must also change.

“Yes. It’s just a start for now…”

“Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

“You have to graduate from school. What on earth are you up to?”

“That is…”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his head.

“I’ve been thinking, and I’m not sure if I really need to go…”

“Are you going to drop out?”

“I’m thinking about it. If that’s too hasty, I’m thinking of extending my leave of absence for now.”

That’s a lie.

Kang Jin-ho had decided not to go to school. No matter how much he thought about it, there was nothing he could gain from there.

Of course, it doesn’t mean that university is a place that teaches useless academics. What you learn there will also be helpful.

But Kang Jin-ho doesn’t necessarily have to learn that at university.

That’s what Lee Hyun-soo said.

“No, why are you going to university?” Lee Hyun-soo said, dumbfounded at Kang Jin-ho’s answer that there are things you can only learn at university.

“It’s not that there are things to learn at university, it’s that there are things to learn from professors! Why are you wasting your time there? If there’s a subject you want to learn and you think it’s necessary, just tell me that subject. I’ll make sure the best professor in Korea goes to your house and tutors you.”

Kang Jin-ho realized anew.

‘Their thinking is different.’

People who went from having nothing to having something and those who have lived that way from the beginning are bound to have different ways of thinking. Kang Jin-ho had never once thought about calling a university professor to teach him.

No, honestly, who would think of that?

So, it was unfair that he had to fully endure Lee Hyun-soo’s frustrated gaze.

“So, are you really thinking of running a company properly?”

“I think so. Of course, it’s not confirmed. I still need to do some more coordination.”

Looking at Baek Hyun-jung and Kang Eun-young, who were dumbfounded, Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but scratch his head.

‘This is no ordinary matter.’

If the general assembly is converted into a corporation, its size will be considerable.

A young man who is barely out of his early twenties is tinkering with something outside and suddenly becomes the chairman of a large corporation?

How is he supposed to explain this?

“What kind of company is it? What are you trying to do?”

At Kang Eun-young’s words, Kang Jin-ho’s face hardened.

He needs to cut it off here to make things easier in the future.

“I know you have a lot of questions right now, but I don’t think it’s the right time to tell you yet.”

His gaze was fixed on Baek Hyun-jung, who still hadn’t shaken off her bewilderment.

“I’m not trying to do anything bad, and I’m not trying to gamble. So please don’t worry, and trust me and wait.”

He was firm.

And it was perfect.

If he says this, they will have no choice but to nod.

Just as Kang Jin-ho was about to praise himself for handling it well, Baek Hyun-jung opened her mouth blankly.

“Where did you learn to be so sneaky?”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t talk nonsense, and tell me properly! What are you doing? You, don’t tell me… are you blowing all the money the chairman gave you?”

“This kid! This kid! He’s out of his mind! What are you going to do? What are you going to do!”

“Ah, no, trust me… trust me…”

“You should trust someone you can trust! Come here! What are you doing! Why can’t you tell me the truth?”

“I, I’ll be going.”

“Where are you going! Don’t go! Kang Jin-ho! Kang Jin-hoooo!”

Kang Jin-ho hurriedly fled out of the house.

It was a failure.